Free Font: Neu Eichmass

Lovely free font Neu Eichmass, from russian designer Ivan Khmelevsky, is great for big headlines.

100 grams is a metric unit widely used in retail. On every example of food packaging we are presented with information concerning the total weight of the contents enclosed. Using 100 grams as a point of reference, we are also provided with a break down of the nutritional content of the ingredients e.g. fat, fibre, carbohydrate etc..

Weight as a concept is also closely related to typography -  the weight of black text on a white page, the different weights in a single type family: light, regular, bold and black… Throughout the history of type the term ‘weight’ has been referred to in a kind of virtual sense as opposed to reflecting the literal meaning of the word. Of course wooden and metal type did have a genuine physical weight, however in typographic terms, weight was simply used as a figure of speech to describe the visual
appearance of a typeface.

Neu Eichmass – New Etalon in german, is a typeface based on the weight – 100 grams. The name is a reference to International Prototype kilogram as a base unit of mass in the International System of Units. The typeface has a modern, cold and measured feel to it, reflecting its origin – it’s metal ‘parents’. It is a sans serif font, taking inspiration from famous grotesques as well as stenciled types associated with market places and street traders. Further inspiration comes from 1920’s and 30’s constructivism. The typeface may, in the future, expand into a type family – the bold weight could become a kilogram, the light weight could be a gram and so on.

The font can be easily stenciled, and it’s application is appropriate for different usages e.g. for street art, for retail purposes suitable for independent shops and street markets, as well  as a headline font and a medium point body text suitable for print.

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Tagged as: Font, Free, Type, Typo, Typography